End to a summer, but only part of the journey

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Tim

So it has come, Labor day weekend, the unofficial end of summer for our family. Our kids go off to school the 4th of September and all 3 will be in school. This summer was different, very different from last. This summer we had fun, adventures to remember and a summer taken back from diabetes. Let me walk you through a recap and tell you why we took this summer back, from diabetes.

Last summer was all to fresh with the mental blitzkrieg of the second diagnoses. Everything was set out of order, everything seemed hard, nothing was planned and nothing gained, or so it seemed. This summer was more planned, we had goals, places to go and friends to see and made some new friends too.

The center piece to the summer was Friends for Life Conference in Florida. The center piece to that was meeting so many folks with kind hearts and ears that wanted to listen. The single golden thread that wrapped around, weaved through the crowds and all long that resort was a battle we all wage. It was a disease they carried or had children that carried.

Maybe it was the joy in my children’s eyes when another said I have diabetes too. Maybe it was shaking someones hand and saying its finally great to meet you, or hearing someone say we have read a lot about you online and finding out they are kindest and funiest folks around. For me getting to meet a bunch of dads who have 2 kids with diabetes was icing on the cake. Or maybe it was swimming in the ocean with a dear old friend who moved to Florida some 20 years ago.

Seeing my Aunt and Uncle at the half way point was a highlight in its self. We stayed a day and a half there, we laughed and joked and had a great time. We littered her guest room floor with diabetes stuff from 2 sensor changes and pod and site changes. I think that sight was a bit overwhelming for even a nurse of 40 plus years. She calls my girls her babies and they just love her to death. I didn’t mind the 108 degree heat, and no humidity.

We even got to see her 2 weeks later here in the state of Michigan. She told  my dad of how proud she was of me. How good of a husband and father I was and how I help take care of the girls and worked as a team with Heather. Some of the most encouraging words I’ve ever heard. She has 3 daughters also, all about my age. I remember many family get together’s playing and fighting with them. Now my kids play with theirs, how times have changed.

I survived 5 days with Heather out of town. BG’s even held their lines even, a blind squirrel can find a acorn once a blue moon. I think she needed the time away, it was earned, and she had fun. I also got away for a weekend. Went fishing with dad, we had fun despite the boat motor taking a proverbial dump, grr that vexing motor. We camped at my brothers house and retold stories for the millionth time, and no one seemed to mind. I fried the bass, I put chipotle seasoning on mine. Hot, but very good.  Also that weekend we all shed tears when we heard  the Duck Lake Fire consuming a fabled lodge and a camp ground near Lake Superior. If you have read Hemingway it was the area he wrote about and fished. Very sad what that fire did. I’ve fished those same waters. The Two Hearted River flows through my heart and memory. Many lost there homes and lively hoods. Sad.

Despite all things, we had fun, diabetes took a back seat, and we are not done yet, 2 days left. So a short adventure we will take and etch those thoughts in our hearts and memoir along with the rest of how we enjoyed the summer of 2012. Thanks to my readers, thanks to my supporters, thanks to you all for listening to the tail of parents of 3 little girls and 2 dysfunctional pancreas’.

Godspeed

Tim

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Just another day.

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Tim

A few Sundays back was a good day, let me tell you the story. It started slow for me, I could not move, late we were for church. No coffee for me that comes from my hand, nice and black I make it. I was tired and stiff but I managed to make it out the door with my wife and kids. We made it on time, early as a matter of fact, my own coffee I could have had, grrr. But nonetheless, we made it.

I dropped off Audi first in her room and then Rissy at hers. When I dropped off Rissy a lady ask if she had an ouwee on her arm. “Ahh no, its a sensor for a continuous glucose monitor, she and her sister both have Type 1 Diabetes“. “Oh” she says, two of my niece have Type 1. Connection! We chatted for a few seconds, commented on how she liked Rissy d-bag, yes that what we call our kids diabetes bag, get use to it, lol. I think she watched her like a hawk. Upon returning to pick her up she told me the high alarm went off. I told her it was just the damn breakfast spike (didn’t say it like that but wanted to). I told her it was coming down. It was nice to run into someone who really cares. So many don’t! I thanked her. I’ll see her again and I’ve heard of her nieces, the whole family as a matter of fact.

Later in the afternoon we went to a park to meet up with an old college buddy. Not seen him in 10 plus years. We worked at the same company after college briefly. He is married with 2 kids, his wife is really nice and kids are awesome and about same age as mine. We have talk via facebook about my kids having Type 1. So he knows and asks really good questions, so did his wife. They really wanted to understand, but didn’t dominate the time asking about it and talking about it.

Both d-kids had 2 hypos apiece. So they saw some of the ugliness of diabetes, raw and unscripted, like it always is. I told him I felt embarrassed because I wrote an article for Everyday Health on hypoglycemia and I forgot a piece of advice about giving a snack before play time that had protein and carbs. Me dumb. He told me it was understandable and our live are really be different. He was kind to make me feel at ease. I told him it becomes part of life and you just manage it.

I had a great time catching up with him. Hearing about his life and his family. We shared some funny stories from our college days. We laughed at a story of our buddy (the best man in my wedding) who had horrid roommates. I can’t share it so gross, but funny. Most of all it was nice to talk with someone who wanted to understand and listen. Speaks to his character it does. It was nice that diabetes didn’t dominate our conversation, it was just part of it, like it should be.

Godspeed

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